GILGIT, June 11: An eight-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by two men in Olding area of Skardu district, police said.

SP Skardu Ejaz Haider told Dawn on phone on Tuesday that the incident occurred five days ago. He said police had arrested one accused and search was on for nabbing the other.

He said a case was registered against the rapists under sections 376, 511, 342 and 34 of the CrPC.

Mr Haider said the arrested man was produced before the judicial magistrate where he confessed to the crime. He was later sent to jail on judicial remand. Mr Haider said police were awaiting medical reports as a team of doctors was examining the girl. The official said influential people were backing the criminals who had also pressurised the poor family of the victim to sign a statement pardoning them. However, he said the girl’s parents gave the written statement to him.

The official said the culprits would get the punishment they deserved.

ROAD CLOSED: The road linking remote Ghizer district with Chitral and rest of the country was closed for traffic after huge waves of a flooded nullah washed away a concrete bridge in Basin point of Gilgit. Public works department officials said a contractor had been hired to restore the traffic on the road on emergency basis. They said floods in the nullah were caused by melting of glacier. Meanwhile, water crisis has further deepened in the Gilgit city as Wasa has failed to repair the damaged water channel so far.

RELIGIOUS CONGREGATION ENDS: A three-day Tablighee congregation ended here on Tuesday as more than 120,000 faithful were in attendance on the last day. Speaking at concluding session, noted religious Scholar Tariq Jamil stressed the need for promoting tranquility and communal harmony in the region. He said there was no room for extremism in Islam.—Correspondent